I've been checking online about my pesky rear wheel, lo and behold others have similar issues, and more. Many posts about the Bontrager race wheels not staying true, especially with heavy 200+ riders. In addition others have found cracks around the spoke holes. Guess what I just found around my rear spoke holes? And a crack on my seat mast. Off to Joes I go. Trek is supposed to have a really great warranty, we'll see.

friggin' cold commute this morn. I was freaking out thinking all of the wet road surfaces would be black ice. Not the case, just bridges and overpasses. Mother earth hasn't yield it's warmth, thankfully.

+1 on the ice.

I was too hot this morning. I had to ride with my jacket completely unzipped.

The temps were close enough to the upper 20s F that I should have worn neoprene shoe covers followed by the fabric ones. My toes were a little cooler than usual.

Also, I forgot to protect the "boys" and started getting a biting sensation by the time I got to work. Usually, at the minimum, I crumple up a bandana and toss it down there for wind protection. Forgot.

Nah, this is great running weather! I wear shorts all the way down to 45 degrees F.

Someday, we should meet at the trail in Gunpowder Park at Belair Rd. It's a very technical trail with roots, rocks, fallen trees, and water crossings--5 miles long on the "outer loop". It's a great place to run, but you really have to be aware of where you are stepping, how fast to step, when to jump, when to slow down and speed up. It's as much of a workout for your head as it is for your body.

The temps were close enough to the upper 20s F that I should have worn neoprene shoe covers followed by the fabric ones. My toes were a little cooler than usual.

Also, I forgot to protect the "boys" and started getting a biting sensation by the time I got to work. Usually, at the minimum, I crumple up a bandana and toss it down there for wind protection. Forgot.

You dressed better than I did. I hear ya on the boys. I figure you gotta get 'em use to crawling back into the body, less they forget their way when it really matters I really like Craft windblocker boxers. I only have 1 pair so got to use them conservatively, shoulda worn them today though.
This year I am going w/ mountaineering gloves w/ removable liners. Rather bulky but I will be able to adjust the liner w/ the weather, plus they are wind and waterproof..or so they say. Didn't have them today either. Didn't have my new Foxwear softshell because it is a Christmas present.....thus it was a chilly commute. Rest of the week looks a little warmer however we are currently getting snow flurries in Beltsville, what's with that

Nah, this is great running weather! I wear shorts all the way down to 45 degrees F.

True, great running weather. I generally just wear shorts,my thin Merino wool base layer, and a fleece vest, light knitted gloves- usually wanting to peel that vest off after a half mile. I may have to wear tights tonight, probably not. When I run I wear boxer briefs under the running shorts to keep that unwanted ventilation to a minimum. I only go to the program because it's all women and ME.

I'm into hiking so trail running would be a logical step. I was talking with my spinning instructor (cute) about mt. biking, which is what she does, x racer. I used to switch to that in winter when I was back in NJ, more cover from wind. I have a pretty nice Cdale Super V from 98 that I should get tweaked.

Barry, that's the gps I've got. I'm going to have to ask you about maps and such, which ones you added to the unit since it comes with just that base map.

I'm also on a Mac and Garmin seems to be lagging with Mac friendly interface.

How do you feel the elevation does? Mine has been all over the map. I used it in Death Vally and it was to the exact foot of the pass I climbed, but in dense foliage it loses reception.

I got the Garmin software to up load local maps and plot routes on the computer. I like the PC version a lot and they have updates available on the Garmin site so the interface (for the PC) has been improving over the years. I have all the local street info uploaded to my Garmin for Baltimore, Annapolis, DC, Cumberland, York and areas in between.

If you want to get together sometime I might be able to help you figure out or work around some obstacles.

The elevation displayed is a combination of satellites and barometric pressure (for fine adjustment,) the satellite calculation is best when it locks on more satellites especially on the horizon so recessed areas can be off and barometric pressure can change over time trowing off the reading till more satellites are acquired. It bugs me when I ride down to the Inner Harbor and it shows my elevation at -14 feet but that really is a small error and does not really effect my enjoyment of the unit. On rare occasions I will get an outrageous elevation reading but it seems to self correct and not influence my overall elevation gain for a ride.

Thanks for the great list, NoRacer. I'm new to the forums, and just getting back into the saddle after taking months off, and I've never attempted to ride in the winter before. I wanted to give it a shot yesterday, opened the door, and went back inside. I'll need to get a few more things to keep me warm, but I've got a good start.

I'm in the Germantown area if anyone ever wants to ride with a slowpoke.

Thanks for the great list, NoRacer. I'm new to the forums, and just getting back into the saddle after taking months off, and I've never attempted to ride in the winter before. I wanted to give it a shot yesterday, opened the door, and went back inside. I'll need to get a few more things to keep me warm, but I've got a good start.

I'm in the Germantown area if anyone ever wants to ride with a slowpoke.

Hey, glad to be of help!

I rode this morning. Here's what my bike computer showed for temperature by the time I got to work:

Not quite as cold as this ride I did on the 20th of this past January--22F at nearly 1pm:

I rode this morning. Here's what my bike computer showed for temperature by the time I got to work:

Not quite as cold as this ride I did on the 20th of this past January--22F at nearly 1pm:

Noracer, You've inspired us all to keep it going all winter. My Madone is in the shop getting some warranty parts but I hope to be on the fixie at least. Do you find that power meter thing accurate? I know the hub power meters are pretty pricey, but I'm getting a new real wheel from Trek- no charge, so maybe I should consider it.

After you move any of these, you have to check the calibration or recalibrate in the case of an iBike. Once you have an iBike profile (a datafile that contains calibration information pertaining to a particular bike and rider) for the new/other bike, you can reapply that profile the next time you move the iBike to that bike. Each bike would require at least one profile.

Accurate? I don't know. Accuracy of ANY powermeter is questionable, because it depends on what standard of calibration is used and attainable due to design.

You're a wellspring of info. I spent a bit of time researching the i-bike vs those others. Seems the wireless technology is changing rather rapidly. I have been thinking about the Garmin 705, now I see that the i-bike and Garmin are compatible. Not sure why I would need both except for the mapping capabilities of the 705. As for using a power meter, have to decide whether I am serious about training and racing in the spring to merit getting one. For now I'll go with HR.

Looks like Trek is sending my new seat mast and rear wheel. Hopefully I'll get it back by the weekend.

Looks like Trek is sending my new seat mast and rear wheel. Hopefully I'll get it back by the weekend.

Harry,

Way to put it over 5k.

BTW I had to look up "seat mast" to find out what it was. Same as "seat post" according to Sheldon Brown.
So, you had a cracked seat post? A carbon fiber one? Yikes! I'd rather not imagine what happens when they break.

BTW I had to look up "seat mast" to find out what it was. Same as "seat post" according to Sheldon Brown.
So, you had a cracked seat post? A carbon fiber one? Yikes! I'd rather not imagine what happens when they break.

I would like to attribute the disintegration of my fancy carbon bike to the amazing torque I'm putting out and not my sheer mass. Yes, the seatmast. The 08 Madone has a seatpost as part of the frame, then the seat mast slides over that. I had wanted a taller version to get more height, 160mm as opposed to 120mm and also less offset so I could be more over the pedals.
I remember coming down on my seat rather hard once and hearing an unnerving noise but failed to check it after the ride. I was at the maximum insertion point so that may have contributed to it cracking. Yah, failure of the back wheel and seatmast in one ride could make for a bad day. There were quite a few blog posts on this "bad batch" of Bontrager wheels. John at Joe's said my weight shouldn't matter on those wheels, totally a manufacturer defect. The new parts are already on their way.
You riding this weekend? I just need to set some time aside for leaf clearing.

Yes 5k, probably the longest year I've had, though the first where I've actually kept track. Maybe I can at least double it in 09, or at least better it-Even if I doubled it I would still be short of Isaias, Teacher Bob, Janet, etc. Quite humbling. Truth be told there are a couple early year spinning class miles in there plus running miles but that is probably no more than 2-300. The spinning classes are good for short, intense, training, but what I lacked throughout the year is long miles. I hope to start getting some weekly long rides in.

I know my friend Bennett mentioned doing one of the DC Rand rides in a couple weeks, there's also the DCRand 200k brevet in December, and your NCR on and off ride.

Yah, thought of you riding in this, but I'm sure you've ridden way more challenging conditions. I stepped out of my studio here just south of Towson and it was WHITE, weird. I'll be at the gym later, I know, I'm soft.

studs are inflated but not installed. I will wait until departure to decide. I'm going out on a limb.....I think this event is 'much ado about nothing' Road surface is still too warm for accumulation. Snow flurries, accumulation on grass areas only. Let the fun begin. Don't forget to get TP and milk.

Last night I figured I'd take the easy way home, via Metro. Once I got out into the darkness at about 6:30PM with the flurries drifting through my headlights, I decided to ride it instead. Glad I did. Beautiful.

I'm off work this week and headed to http://tinyurl.com/5ap23e for a family reunion.
The fixie's going with me even though there's snow on the ground up there, single digit temps and it's the first days of deer hunt season. There's a ton of great fire roads and single track all through the Monongahela Forest, but out of safety, I'll probably have to stick to the roads. It'd be pretty dumb to dodge traffic in Baltimore for all these years just to get shot in the woods of WV.

I'm considering adding a long Jan or Feb ride into the BBC schedule (50/50). For Dec, I'm likely to ride the "On again, Off again" NCR ride I just composed, more as exploration and not as an official club ride. Or maybe I'll finish off my 2008 century challenge with a DC Rand ride. Not sure yet.

Last night I figured I'd take the easy way home, via Metro. Once I got out into the darkness at about 6:30PM with the flurries drifting through my headlights, I decided to ride it instead. Glad I did. Beautiful.

-GB

Yes indeed, happy Thanksgiving to all and keep me updated on when and where you're riding. I did spinning again today, since I had home obligations. I'm hoping to head out for 45-60 tomorrow a.m.-back by 11:30. Got my Trek back quick, new rear wheel and seat mast.

I have the 5k on Thursday so I'll probably take it slow the rest of the week.

ride home on Friday was spooky in a cool sort of way. I was on the road at 530/6 with strong winds blowing lots of snow much of it horizontal. I didn't have my clear lens glasses(broken) so took a lot snow in the face. Roads were were fine though. drivers gave me lots of room.
GB: West-by-god-Virginian!!!! Monongahela Nat Forrest, love that area. Hard biking though, makes the hills of Catonsville look flat. What area? I spend a lot of time at Canaan and Seneca. HAppy Turkey day
Rest of you guys/gals(Max is missing again): Lets try to ride over the Thanksgiving break.

ride home on Friday was spooky in a cool sort of way. I was on the road at 530/6 with strong winds blowing lots of snow much of it horizontal. I didn't have my clear lens glasses(broken) so took a lot snow in the face. Roads were were fine though. drivers gave me lots of room.
GB: West-by-god-Virginian!!!! Monongahela Nat Forrest, love that area. Hard biking though, makes the hills of Catonsville look flat. What area? I spend a lot of time at Canaan and Seneca. HAppy Turkey day
Rest of you guys/gals(Max is missing again): Lets try to ride over the Thanksgiving break.

I've been curious about Monongahela. Do you guys mt.bike? I was very much into it back in the late nineties. I'm thinking of giving my old bike an overhaul for some winter riding. I remember winter mt.biking being a good off season pursuit, generally slower, more protected from wind.

I hope to get some miles in over Thanksgiving weekend. The cold that is running through our house has found me, so need to shake that by Thursday, Turkey Trot. Planned on getting on the bike at 7am but didn't think it wise riding in the twenties the way I felt. Maybe later. I'm sure Noracer is out on south Mountain somewhere.

I've been curious about Monongahela. Do you guys mt.bike? I was very much into it back in the late nineties. I'm thinking of giving my old bike an overhaul for some winter riding. I remember winter mt.biking being a good off season pursuit, generally slower, more protected from wind.

I hope to get some miles in over Thanksgiving weekend. The cold that is running through our house has found me, so need to shake that by Thursday, Turkey Trot. Planned on getting on the bike at 7am but didn't think it wise riding in the twenties the way I felt. Maybe later. I'm sure Noracer is out on south Mountain somewhere.

finally another person with a mountain bike. I bought a new iron horse bike in january hoping to go riding, its been on the trail once since then it has slicks and the wife has been riding it. I can swap the slicks for knobbies raise the seat and roll.

Seriously if you want to mountain bike I'm free next Sunday possible something Friday depends on when the wife gets home, if not I'll be looking for a road ride.

Anyway todays ride, short on time due to the game and the need for sleep, under 35 degrees, I got in 7 miles of hill climb repeats on fait ave (steepest road in my area), still need Noracer to come out and verify the steepness veloroute says 30 percent??, I swear they must be 75 degree climbs.

It was only 22 deg F at the beginning of the ride. My iBike's wireless mount died within the first hour of riding. It wasn't until the first rest break that I had a chance to put in a fresh battery and that seemed to do the trick.

Anyway, the ride went up past Mt Weather.

There was about 8,500ft total of climbing according to Chuck's GPS. I was able to cobble together from my iBike the elevation profile for 85 of the 99 miles ridden. The climb up Mt Weather is missing from the profile, though: